For the animal food industry, IFEEDER has determined that the following issues, categorized under the themes of people, planet and governance, are material in its sustainability journey: feed safety and food safety; human capital; human health and wellness; social good and helping communities; worker safety; energy use; greenhouse gases; land and marine resource use; waste; water quality; water usage; accountability; legal, regulatory and institutional compliance; stakeholders and shareholders; shareholder rights; and transparency.
Executive Director
IFEEDER
The Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) fosters trust in the sustainable feed and pet food supply chain through research and education. In 2021, IFEEDER launched the Sustainability Road Map Project to provide the industry with strategic guidance toward sustainability. With phase two of the project well underway, IFEEDER has added new materials to its Animal Food Industry Sustainability Toolkit.
SUSTAINABILITY ROADMAP INITIATIVE: PHASE TWO
In 2021, IFEEDER partnered with the Context Network to officially launch a project to develop a sustainability road map for the animal food industry with the goal of supporting the advancement of both corporate sustainability programs and environmental footprint initiatives with key stakeholders across the U.S. animal food value chain. The first phase resulted in the development of a sustainability framework and strategic objectives, which guide IFEEDER’s support for industry sustainability efforts.
A gap analysis revealed the barriers preventing companies from launching or measuring progress on sustainability programs and mapping the stakeholders impacted by industry initiatives. As a result, IFEEDER introduced the Animal Food Industry Sustainability Toolkit during its initial work. The toolkit, initially launched in 2023, provides business leaders within the animal feed and pet food industry with practical resources for developing their internal sustainability programs, responding to stakeholders’ requests and communicating their sustainability stories.
Current Sustainability Road Map efforts are focused on ensuring industrywide consistency in data measurement, reporting and verification and enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), which is critical for the industry and downstream stakeholders as they communicate their progress on sustainability commitments. In addition, IFEEDER has been exploring and highlighting the environmental benefits of innovations in animal feed development, such as novel ingredients and additives that were formulated to improve animal performance.
Working with several key partners across the animal food industry, IFEEDER and the Context Network recently added new resources to its toolkit on its latest findings. This includes a comprehensive landscape assessment of industry sustainability practices and findings from a scientific literature review, complete with a database of animal performance metrics impacted by novel feed ingredients.
DEFINING MATERIAL ISSUES
This summer, IFEEDER released additional resources for the industry that define “materiality” and outline 16 issues areas determined to be material within the animal food sector. Materiality is the threshold at which certain issues become relevant enough for a company to report on, representing the organization’s most significant impacts on the economy, environment and people.
IFEEDER’s new tools show how a company or organization can conduct a materiality assessment to determine where to focus its sustainability programs and how to communicate those efforts to its stakeholders.
For the animal food industry, IFEEDER has determined that the following issues, categorized under the themes of people, planet and governance, are material in its sustainability journey: feed safety and food safety; human capital; human health and wellness; social good and helping communities; worker safety; energy use; greenhouse gases; land and marine resource use; waste; water quality; water usage; accountability; legal, regulatory and institutional compliance; stakeholders and shareholders; shareholder rights; and transparency.
The new resource offers detailed descriptions of each issue, insights into its potential value for the industry and examples from industry members that highlight the tangible benefits of addressing these issues. This resource, created in partnership with Iowa State University, helps companies identify, prioritize and manage key issues like greenhouse gas emissions, water usage and worker safety. The materials developed through this project have been added to the toolkit and are also available for all animal food industry stakeholders on IFEEDER’s website.
These initiatives, spearheaded by IFEEDER, represent a transformative movement toward sustainability in the animal food industry. By pursuing the Sustainability Road Map Project and expanding the Animal Food Industry Sustainability Toolkit, IFEEDER is equipping companies within the animal food industry with the necessary tools and resources to enhance their sustainability practices and foster accountability.
